Wakey Wakey

Prompt from DailyPrompt.com

The morning bell split the silence and his sleep. Dawn had been spotted. Or at least the lookout decided the clouds to the east were the right shade of grey.

He climbed out of bed, only stopping long enough to stretch and squint out the window. No sunshine but little risk of rain either, and not too windy.

Ugh. Fine. He’d have to go to work.

Without bothering to change he shambled downstairs. Seven steps to the ladder, nine steps down the ladder, two steps and a kick ten times down one side of the room, five steps over, two steps and a kick ten times back.

He could do it in his sleep if only the tails were in the same places each time. As is he had to squint for the scaly trunks coiled in the straw. Each dark as a storm cloud, perfectly suited to hiding in the sky or the shadows of a predawn stable stall.

“Come on. Up up.”

A tide of volcanic grumbles and sulphurous snorts washed across the room in his wake. Yawns spewed a foul miasma of fermented meat and wet wood. And the hound masters complained about their charges’ morning breath. Tsk.

Well, everyone was awake. But they weren’t going to move until breakfast appeared. He should be able to grab five more minutes.

Two steps to the ladder, nine steps up the ladder, seven steps to fall back into bed. He could do that part in his sleep.

Prompt was “He climbs out of bed, doesn’t bother to change, walks downstairs to kick ALL of their tails, and then returns to bed.”